Named after the Mac team, also used as a mathematical equation to denote change, formed while studying fine art at university, and prone to inserting odd geometric references into their lyrics, Cambridge quartet Alt-J might be a little too clever for their own good . Their debut album, An Awesome Wave, produced by Charlie Andrew (Laurel Collective), is sometimes pretentious, especially the a cappella vocal warm-up in the interlude "(The Ripe & Ruin)". But for the most part, its 13 tracks do for nu-folk what the equally ambitious debut Everything Everything did for indie rock, breathing new life into the genre with an intriguing yet accessible series of art-rock twists and turns. Indeed, apart from frontman Joe Newman's assertive vocals, which sometimes border on parody, there's nothing to do with the adolescent style of Mumford & Sons. "Tessellate" combines the glitchy electronics of Thom Yorke's solo career with the wistful windy harmonies of Fleet Foxes; "Fitzpleasure" sizzles with its dubstep-lite beats and acid bass before being interrupted, first by a burst of jangle post-rock, then shimmering guitar overflows that you'd expect from a Tarantino soundtrack; While "Taro" somehow pulls together the unlikely alliances of Americana and bhangra to produce a suitably strange but exciting finale. To Andrew's credit, these eclectic arrays of sounds weave together with such ease that the result never feels forced or contrived. There are some more straightforward moments, like "Matilda," a tender acoustic folk ode to Natalie Portman's troubled character in "Leone," and the sparse, ghostly "Ms." But the Alt-J wave is far more stunning when it's at its most schizophrenic.

Tracklist:

Side A
A1. Intro
A2. Interlude 1
A3. Tessellate
A4. Breezeblocks
A5. Interlude 2
A6. Something Good
A7. Dissolve Me

Side B
B1. Matilda
B2. Ms
B3. Fitzpleasure
B4. Interlude 3
B5. Bloodflood
B6. Taro
B7. Hand-Made